


Found

by lightspeedrobin



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, kaoru briefly mentioned, might add more tags in future chapters, reader is a cafe owner here, ryuseitai appears in first chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26527915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightspeedrobin/pseuds/lightspeedrobin
Summary: Chiaki can vaguely remember that time in kindergarten when he saved a girl during a school field trip but he knows that it was the first time he became someone’s hero. With only a dolphin plush and a worn-out handkerchief to remind him of that memory, he finally meets her again.
Relationships: Morisawa Chiaki/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 37





	1. Cafe Visit

The wind chimes give a gentle ring as another customer enters the shop. The man looks around before setting his eyes on an empty table near the window. The cafe didn’t have many customers at this time of day, given that it’s a weekday and most people should be at work or in school. 

Chiaki finds the place comfortable. With piano music playing in the background, windows tinted just enough to let some sunlight in but not too bright for the eyes, the waft of coffee in the air, and the occasional klink of mugs and glasses made by the barista from the counter, Chiaki is able to relax easily and forget all things related to work for a moment. He definitely needs to thank Kaoru for the recommendation.

Today is a special occasion for him. Ryuseitai has received a job involving everyone in the unit, and rather than meeting up at the ES building and discussing the particulars of the job, Chiaki suggested they’d eat out first before going into business mode. ‘ _It’s been a while since we’ve all joined up together. Why don’t we go and catch up first?_ , ’ was what he insisted on in their group SNS. 

He was the first to arrive as usual and while he waits for the others, he takes the opportunity to look around the cafe. Smooth, birch flooring, tall glass windows, potted plants on every table and a couple by the door, and a small display case near the counter, where a single barista is busy brewing a fresh pot of coffee. 

Chiaki takes a better look at the display case. Apart from the rest of the cafe which gives off a sort of mature style, the display case and the even tables near it, he now notices, are made to look a little playful and childish. Colorful paper flowers replace the small succulents on the tables plus an addition of a small container of crayons and a stack of paper. The display case has several stuffed toys in it like a stuffed bear, a panda, a dog, and even a crocodile. Clearly the area was meant for children, but do kids even go to cafes?

One display catches Chiaki’s eye: a blue stuffed dolphin, clearly older than the other stuffed animals given its fading colors, at the topmost shelf. He feels a wave of nostalgia looking at it but before thinking any further, a glass of water is placed in front of him. Chiaki looks up from the glass and is greeted with a smile from a cafe staff.

“Sorry for the wait. We’re kind of understaffed today.” She says with an apologetic tone. “Are you ready to order?” 

“Ah no, it’s okay. I’m still waiting for some people,” Chiaki replies, and the woman nods in understanding. 

“Alrighty then.” she speaks in a casual tone, “ Thought you might’ve been confused on how to order since you’re new here.”

Chiaki blinks in surprise. She knows? “Ah yes, It’s my first time here. A friend recommended the place to me. I’m surprised you can tell.”

“Well we have a number of regulars who visit at this time of day so I can spot the newcomers. Plus, I see you looking around the place when you entered.” _Oh, right_ . Chiaki chuckles at the comment, feeling slightly embarrassed for his earlier actions. He _was_ staring too long at the ‘kids’ section, after all. 

“You have an interesting place here. Is that area meant for kids?” He points to the area near the display shelf, and she shifts her attention to it as well. 

“Ah yes, we get a lot of children here on the weekends. Our ice cream desserts are popular with them.” She explains as she picks one flyer from the stack of menus she’s been holding and shows it to Chiaki. Various desserts are featured on it from ice cream parfaits to frozen yogurts. They even have animal-themed cakes on the menu. 

Chiaki’s eyes sparkle at the desserts as well. “The children would definitely enjoy these!” They all look very appetizing and he can already imagine what they could taste like. He can also think of a number of people from Yumenosaki who would definitely like to try them. 

He flips the flyer to the other side and his eyes grew wider at their most featured dessert: a lineup of superhero-themed parfaits. All were in different flavors representing a color, with different toppings and syrups to match. Chiaki could name a few tokusatsu shows the desserts may have been based on but there are too many colors to pinpoint it to a specific one, which would mean whoever made these must’ve taken into consideration a lot of references. He gapes at the amount of details.

She notices Chiaki’s expression change and chimes in. “Ah, those parfaits were just launched a month ago and they quickly became a bestseller among the kids.”

“These look amazing!” Chiaki exclaims, extending his arms while holding the flyer. He looks up at her. “I can see that these were made with a lot of passion.”

The sudden cry surprises her but she meekly smiles at the praise. “Thank you very much!”

“I bet Sengoku would enjoy this yellow parfait. The stars look like those shuriken he carries around.” Chiaki then starts to ramble. “Kanata would like this blue one with the fish shaped biscuits, and these bear-shaped sugar candies would definitely be perfect for Takamine, and Nagumo– Ah what’s keeping them so long? I want to try this with everyone!” Unable to hold in his excitement, he takes out his phone and scans his messages for new updates. Sadly, the last message was from him, saying that he’s entering the cafe.

The woman clears her throat to catch Chiaki’s attention, her brows knitted together. “I’m really sorry, sir. But the parfaits from that flyer would only be available on weekends since that’s when most of the children visit and it takes some time to make them.” There was regret in her voice as she spoke. After their desserts were praised like that, she felt a little guilty that he wouldn’t be able to try it today.

“Oh is that so? No worries there! There’s always a next time.” Chiaki immediately replies with no hint of disappointment in his voice. “Maybe i’ll drop by again when they’re available. This red parfait really calls out to me!” He says, eyeing the red dessert before nodding with a satisfied hum. “Thanks for showing me this. Can I keep this flyer?”

He sees relief spreading on her face when he looks at her again, her expression lighting up as she replies. “Yup. We actually give these out to our customers for promotion so we have plenty.” She points to the counter where a stack of similar fliers were displayed. 

“Oh! Well then, I’ll hold on to this.” He waves the flyer before setting it down on the table. She nods in return.

The chimes ring again as a group enters the shop, and instinctively, Chiaki stands up and turns his head towards the door. Sure enough, it’s finally the rest of his unit approaching. 

“Chiaki, we’re here~” Kanata greets, with Midori, Tetora and Shinobu in tow. While Kanata looks refreshed as ever, the other three look out of breath.

“We’re sorry for being late. Tetora-dono and I were helping out Midori-dono with deliveries.” Sengoku bows his head low. Midori also mutters a quick apology. “I told them to go ahead but they’re so persistent on lending a hand.”

Nagumo chimes in. “If we hadn’t helped you you would’ve missed the meeting. We just rushed here as soon as we’re done with the last box.” 

“And I bumped into the children on the way here.” Kanata adds.

“No need to worry. I was just admiring these desserts they have while I wait.” Chiaki then holds up the flyer for everyone to see. “I was thinking we could all go and try them next time. Apparently these are only available on the weekends.”

“Ah! They’re like Ryueitai parfaits!” Tetora says with excitement. The rest steps closer to take a look at the other desserts in the flyer. Just as Chiaki thought, his unitmates would also be interested in them.

The cafe staff, who had scooted to the side when the new customers came in, steps forward. “Why don’t I get you all settled in? We don’t have the parfaits for today but we do have other items in the menu you might like.” She raises her arm with the menus as she speaks.

Chiaki realizes they must have been bothering the other customers by standing around and talking. “Ah, sorry. We’ll get seated then.” 

She hands out the menu, inserting the dessert flyer in them as well before heading back to the kitchen to get glasses water for the rest of the members. After browsing for a few minutes, the group decides to try out a variety of dishes from the menu at Chiaki’s suggestion.

They start to chat while they wait, and Chiaki is happy they all managed to get together like this again. It reminds him of their time in Yumenosaki, where he would bond with everyone before _and_ after a job, took trips together, done lives with everyone, and many more fond memories. And today’s another memory he’ll be making with them.

The discussion for their new job goes on smoothly, with everyone already experienced enough to make valid suggestions on how they’d tackle the requests from the client. They are able to finish their meeting a few hours before sunset, which would give the group some free time to stroll around the rest of the district. A change of pace would also be nice. With that idea in place, Chiaki asks for the bill.

Before joining the others to the door, Chiaki walks up to her, who already has a tray in hand to clear up their table. “I’ll definitely be back on the weekend. Now I really can’t wait to try those superhero parfaits!”

“Then I’ll be looking forward to your next visit!” The woman smiles and gives him a curt nod before Chiaki waves and finally exits the cafe. As Chiaki approaches his unitmates, he notes that Kanata has been smiling at him since leaving the cafe. The brunette raises a brow in curiosity.

“You and the owner are already well acquainted, I see.” Kanata says, head tilting to the side to look at her inside. She’s telling something to the barista before the young man smiles and curtly bows his head before stepping out of the counter. A switch in shifts, probably? 

The sudden information, though, seems to process for a second for Chiaki, and his eyes widened at the realization.

_“She’s what?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a conversation with a friend led me to starting this fic uwu and it's the perfect gift i can do for chiaki for his birthday 
> 
> happy birthday ryusei red, ilysm!! thanks for always surprising me with my gacha rolls~
> 
> follow me on tumblr @lightspeedrobin


	2. Lending a Hand

_“She’s what?”_

_“Hmm? She’s the cafe’s owner. Kaoru told me last time we went there with Souma.”_

Chiaki didn’t realize the fact until after they left the cafe, and the first thing that concerned him was if he was at any point rude to her while they were talking the other day. Judging by her reactions, she probably wasn’t but he’s really not the type who can read people’s emotions accurately. Plus, that was just the first time they met, so he wouldn’t really know. Kanata should’ve really told him. But Chiaki can’t really blame him since Kanata must've thought the brunette already knew.

Chiaki shakes the thought off as he rounds the corner to the street where the cafe is located.

Visiting the cafe in the morning would probably be a bad idea since the children might recognize him and cause a commotion. He recalls a lot of Ryuseitai meet and greet events where the children would just gather around and cling onto him in adoration. Not that he dislikes it one bit, but he might cause too much ruckus in the cafe that it disrupts the rest of the customers. So he decides a late afternoon visit would be better, where the crowd would be thinner.

Or so he thought.

The moment he enters the cafe, a pair of children run past him, almost bumping into his legs if he hadn’t moved away in time.The children’s area is completely full and the quiet, relaxing atmosphere from two days ago was gone.

He spots the owner by the display case, reaching for a stuffed bear to lend to a waiting girl by her feet. “Alright now. Take good care of her while we get your Ranger Pink parfait ready, okay?” She says, her voice in a gentle and soothing tone.

The girl sniffles and rubs her eyes before taking the bear. “...Okay. Thank you, Onee-san!” She gives her new friend a pat before trotting back to her mother. The mother mouths a small ‘thank you’ as her daughter approaches and the owner waves in reply.

Chiaki walks over just as the owner turns to the door. “Oh, you really came!” She says, a hint of excitement in her voice. However, as soon as she realizes this her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and she clears her throat to hide her embarrassment. “–I mean, welcome! Please have a seat and we’ll get back to you for your order.” The change of her tone to a more business-like one didn’t go unnoticed by Chiaki, but he passes the observation as simply being courteous.

“Thanks. I’ll be over there, then.” Chiaki points to an empty table near the children’s area and she nods before getting back to work. Now’s probably a good time to go over the script for another job while he waits, and so he opens the folder he brought with him and starts skimming over the lines.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when a glass of water was placed on the table in front of him and was greeted again by the owner, just like the first time he visited the cafe. The only difference is that this time, she is looking more troubled than cheerful. 

“I am so very sorry!” She suddenly blurts out, bowing her head. “We haven’t had this many customers at this time of the day and… well our other staff is still sick so–Ah! Sorry! I shouldn’t be blabbering all this to a customer!” She says and apologizes once more. He’s never seen her this flustered before.

“Ah, no it’s fine really. I didn’t even notice how long it has been since I started reading through this.” Chiaki quickly replies, trying to ease her worries. He had a habit of getting too engrossed in whatever he’s reading and losing track of time, after all, so a few minutes of waiting shouldn’t bother him too much.

“But it’s already been an hour since you arrived and we haven’t attended to you yet,” she regretfully explains, “so please let me take your order now and I'll get started on it immediately!” She takes out a notepad and waits for his reply.

 _An hour, huh?_ Chiaki thinks and peeks over behind her to the children section. It’s still packed, with the most children holding stuffed animals from the display case. They must already be waiting for their orders too. The barista counter has several parfaits on it, ready to be served. There are also a few new customers who are looking around and probably waiting for a staff to attend to them. It’s one heck of a war she’ll be returning to once she takes his order.

“Umm… Sir?” She hesitantly calls, clearly still anticipating his response, and Chiaki looks back at her. 

“You have a lot of people today, huh?” 

“Y-Yes. I’m really sorry for–”

“Would you mind me helping out?”

“What?” Her tense shoulders drop in confusion as Chiaki stands up and takes a quick view of the cafe once more. 

“I can go wait tables and entertain the kids to free you some tasks.” He offers, hands now on his hips and wearing a confident smile on his face. She was surprised by the offer but she quickly shakes her head.

“But that’s– We can’t possibly let a customer do that and not to mention an i–”

“It’s fine, really. A hero would never pass up any chance of helping others!”

But despite her best efforts to dissuade him from taking the place of their sick employee, she eventually gives in. Partly because she had a long queue of orders that needed preparing and she no more time to waste arguing, but mostly because of Chiaki’s persistent convincing. He had good intentions, after all.

-

Chiaki is a natural at this, being an idol and all, and is able to settle down the waiting customers, especially the children. It was only a matter of time before the chaotic atmosphere died down. 

He stops for a moment to look back at the counter to see how they’re doing with the orders, and he sees her trying her best to calm an upset boy, who was stomping his feet in front of the display case.

“I want to play with the dolphin!” The boy cries, pointing his finger on the worn out dolphin plush at the top shelf.

“I’m really sorry. That one’s only for display.” She gently replies, crouching down to meet the boy’s eyes. 

“But I want to see what it looks like up close! Mommy and I went to an aquarium yesterday and I didn’t see the real one because I was scared. So I want to play with the blue dolphin!” The boy raises his voice, already on the verge of tears. She bites her lip, not knowing what to do.

“...Mr. Dolphin up there is really old, you see? If we suddenly take him outside, he’ll… um… he might get hurt.” She tries her best to explain it to him in a way he can understand but the boy was not budging, still holding that disappointed frown on his face. “A-Anyway, I can’t really take Mr. Dolphin out. You can play with the other animals, if you like–”

“It’s just for a few minutes until Mommy comes back. Why won’t you let me play with him?!” The boy shouts and stands on his tiptoes, pressing his little hands on the glass screen and attempting to slide it open.

“W-Wait! It’s dangerous, don’t–”

Chiaki is quick to rush over, reaching out for the boy to lift him up and away from the display case. The boy was stunned by the sudden action, with eyes staring wide at Chiaki as he put him down.

“Now, now. Good boys should listen to the grown-ups. It’ll be hard for you to be a hero if you keep causing trouble.” Chiaki then says. 

“But the dolphin...” The boy looks back up at the dolphin, frowning even more.

Chiaki places a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You said you went to an aquarium, yeah?” 

The boy nods and wipes little beads of tears forming on his eyes. “...Yeah.”

“What was it like seeing the other fish up close?” Chiaki asks, and almost instantly the small tantrum is forgotten as the boy looks at him with excited eyes.

“There were so many colorful fish and they were swimming together!” He spreads his arms wide as he tells the brunette. “There was this one fish with… um...”, the boy looks at his hands and tries to count on his fingers, “... eight legs!”

“Wow! That looks cool! How does a fish with eight legs swim, I wonder?” Chiaki exclaims and the boy looks happy to have someone listen to his stories.

The boy's face lights up at an idea. “Oh! I can show you what it looks like!” And he starts tugging at Chiaki’s hand. “Let me draw it for you.”

Before Chiaki is dragged away, he turns to her, who was still surprised at how easily he handled the situation. “I’ll take care of the boy here, you go and tend to the other customers.” He reassures her, giving her a quick wink to ease her worries and she gives a relieved smile.

“Alright, thank you.” She nods before heading back to the counter to retrieve the next batch of orders to serve. Chiaki continues to listen to the child as he draws with the crayons and sheets of paper on the table. The eight-legged fish the boy was talking about was actually an octopus. The boy then starts to tell Chiaki about the other creatures he saw on his aquarium visit and the brunette listens patiently.

From behind the child, Chiaki sees the owner slowly making her way to the display case, careful not to alert the boy of her presence. He and the boy were seated at a table with the boy having his back turned from the shelf, so when she opened the glass door and reached for the dolphin, the boy didn’t notice. 

She meets Chiaki’s eyes for a moment, and signals him to stay quiet and continue distracting the boy. He nods and she quickly ducks behind the counter and into the staff room with the dolphin. She is probably hiding it so the boy would forget about it.

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly thanks to Chiaki’s help and they were able to reach closing time without incident. That was probably the busiest day they’ve had, and it would’ve brought them a bad reputation if there were too many unsatisfied customers due to being understaffed. Chiaki was glad he could help.

–

“Here’s your Ranger Red Parfait!” Chiaki eagerly watches as his red parfait is placed in front of him. The dessert looked more appetizing now that he can finally have his own. It would be a lie to say he was not thinking about finally tasting it while he was serving them to the children earlier. The glass is tall and wide, containing a generous amount of whipped cream over the red velvet cake and cream cheese icing. It’s also decorated with walnuts, strawberries, blueberries and a chocolate wafer on top. It really makes one excited to just dip their spoon onto the dessert. 

“Ah, I can’t wait to try it! Thank you!” Chiaki replies a little too enthusiastically, earning a small laugh from her. The cafe has already closed for the day and it’s just the two of them left. Chiaki decided to sit by the children’s area and he invited her to sit across him. 

“You sure are as excited as those children earlier.” She comments, placing her arms on the table as she watches him.

“Well, I really am excited to try them out ever since I saw it on the flyer.” He explains in reply. He was looking forward to visiting the cafe again with Ryuseitai too but unfortunately, their schedules didn’t match up so he ended up going alone.

A small chuckle escaped her lips. “Yeah, I can see you practically drooling over the other parfaits you were serving earlier.” And Chiaki’s eyes grew wide at her statement. Was he really that obvious? 

“Just kidding~” She then says, giggling again at his reaction. Chiaki can feel his cheeks getting red in embarrassment but he tries to hide it with a loud laugh.

“You got me there.” 

She watches expectantly as he finally takes a careful scoop of the parfait, making sure to get a part of all the elements so he can taste how well they would all combine. He places the spoonful on his mouth and as the wonderful flavours fill his taste buds, he notices the nameplate on her uniform, a defining gold plate with her name and the title “Manager” under it. _She really does run the cafe, huh?_

“Um… Is something the matter? Did it... not live up to your tastes?” She nervously asks. He was lost again in his thoughts so she must’ve interpreted his silence as dissatisfaction.

“Uh, no. It actually tastes amazing! I can see how well they all come together.” He quickly replies and she lets a breath she’s been holding. Ah, he made her worry again. 

“It’s just that I didn’t realize you were the owner until a friend told me when we left last time.” He says sheepishly and she responds with a small “oh ” before laughing. 

She leans slightly on the table. “Well, _I_ didn’t realize you were an idol until our barista showed me one of your concerts. The children were all fawning over you earlier too! I’m surprised you were able to handle them.” 

“Well, being in the job gives you more experience in learning how to calm them down.” Chiaki somehow feels a sense of pride as he speaks and he gives another of his confident laughs. She has a thoughtful look before nodding in understanding. 

“I see. So I guess we’re even.” She grins and Chiaki takes another spoonful to his mouth before continuing. 

“I hope I wasn’t rude to you in any way.” 

“No, not at all! You were actually a big help today.”

As if remembering something important, she lets out a horrified gasp. “Oh god, I can’t believe I let an idol wait tables in my cafe! I’m gonna get in trouble with your managers, aren’t I?” Her hands are on her cheeks in panic as she spoke. 

Chiaki quickly shakes his head at the question. “What? No! I already told you before but it’s totally fine! It’s not like we’re bound to just do whatever job our agency gives us.” 

“Oh, well that’s a relief.” She breathes out, chuckling a bit at her own reaction. If Chiaki was being honest, though, seeing her get flustered again like this, he can’t help but find her a little cute. He grins at the thought.

She excuses herself as Chiaki is finishing his parfait and disappears into the staff room. She comes back out with the dolphin plush from earlier and begins inspecting it for any dirt or tears. She had a small sewing kit with her as well just in case. Chiaki starts to think back to what happened earlier with the boy and wonders if the old plush holds some kind of significance to her, with how adamant she was on not letting the boy touch it.

“This actually holds great sentimental value. And you can’t find it anywhere anymore because the shop I bought it from closed down.” To his surprise, she answered so easily when he asked her about it. 

It was from a field trip when she was young, she narrated. Her class went to an aquarium and in one of the animal shows they had, she was chosen to come up and play with the sea lion. The creature, however, got a little too playful and pulled the young girl into the water by her dress and was dragging her to the bottom of the pool.

“I thought I was gonna die, you know. I didn’t know how to swim and I was panicking so hard I took in a lot of water.” She ghosted a hand to her throat, as if remembering the sensation she felt when she was drowning. Chiaki listens intently as she continues.

“But then there’s this boy who was also chosen to come up on stage with me. He jumped in after I was pulled underwater and was pulling me upwards by the arm. I don’t remember much of what happened then but the aquarium staff were the ones who eventually rescued the both of us. That was one heck of a near-death experience, huh?” She then chuckles, all the heavy feelings from earlier forgotten. 

He wonders then what happened after the incident. Was she still haunted by the experience of almost dying? What happened to the boy who saved her? All these questions and more were lying unsaid in his mind but he was hesitant to ask.

She lifts the dolphin from her lap. “This dolphin’s from that aquarium’s souvenir shop. I may not have remembered the boy’s face, but that boy, probably the same age as me, bravely saved my life and this right here is my constant reminder of that fact.” She fondly runs a hand onto the plush’s soft fur, her eyes giving off a soft twinkle which for some reason makes her entire face glow like the early morning sun. Chiaki almost got lost in them, until she breaks the silence.

“That’s why I don’t want this out of my sight, nor on somebody else’s hands.” She says sheepishly, as if it was a silly reaction. But Chiaki didn’t think of it as silly at all, in fact–

“It’s a precious memory of your first hero, huh?” Chiaki smiles at her, not showing any sign of ridicule. How could he laugh at something like that? He was glad that someone was able to become a hero for her and it wouldn’t be silly to cherish a memento of that time.

Her eyes widened for a moment at his reaction, surprised he hasn’t laughed it off like the others did, but then softens into a small smile as she looks down again on the plush.

“...Yeah.” 

She has told him a story of her childhood, and not just any story too. It was a memory that she kept and treasured for so long. It might not have been a story she tells to just anyone, either. It was like she was sharing a part of her to Chiaki, a complete stranger she just met a few days ago, and for that Chiaki felt honored.

“Thanks for sharing all this to me.”

–

The two stayed for about an hour more talking, the conversation mostly led by Chiaki with his numerous stories about his unit and his high school days. After hearing a story as personal as hers, he couldn’t help but also share something he holds dear to his heart too: all the friends he made in Yumenosaki and most especially, Ryuseitai. She was eager to listen to each one, sharing a few more stories of her own when a similar experience happened to her too.

Night falls too soon, though, and she really had to close shop for the day. It would be another war again tomorrow so she needed the time to rest and unwind. The two part ways after helping her lock up, with her inviting him to come visit again

Chiaki finally arrives home, happy to have made a new friend and goes to the kitchen for a glass of water. He passes by his storage room, door ajar from when he rummaged some old stuff the night before. It’s in need of a little re-organizing, with all the boxes left open and some with its contents spilling out. He’s finished reading through the script this afternoon anyway so he decides to clean it up.

As he begins to take out the boxes from their shelves, an old paper bag tumbles off from the top shelf. Curious to know what’s inside, Chiaki takes out its contents and to his surprise it’s a dolphin plush, covered in dust and its pink color starting to fade away. Chiaki was racking his brain on where on earth he got this from when he saw the tag on the plush. An aquarium theme park, from a school trip back back in kindergarten., he now recalls. But did he actually buy a pink dolphin before?

Another interesting thing that was inside the bag was a small white handkerchief. It was decorated with sunflowers at the corners and Chiaki can already tell this wasn’t his. It was only after he unfolds it that he notices a name embroidered at the bottom.  
  
  


The same name as the cafe owner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi~ it's been a while, huh? i've been stuck writing this chapter for weeks because i have a lot of stuff planned to happen in this chapter that it ended up even longer and i had to take out some scenes. hopefully the length of this chapter makes up for the long wait TTwTT
> 
> the next and probably last chapter would take a bit longer because though i already have the ending in mind, i still have to work on the events leading to that ending. so please wait a little longer and i hope you enjoyed this update~!
> 
> follow me on tumblr @lightspeedrobin


	3. A Snippet of the Past

_ It seems like today is his lucky day as Chiaki is called up on stage by the emcee, his smile couldn’t be any wider as he joins the other kid next to the sea lion. The next bit of the show was to have volunteers from the audience play some tricks with the aquatic animal.  _

_ He was waving excitedly to his mom from the audience seats when he heard a scream followed by a splash of water _

_ The crowd was in panic as the girl was pulled underwater, the emcee calling for a lifeguard through the microphone and the girl’s classmates shouting at her. Chiaki is stunned as well. One second she was just standing next to him and the next she’s gone.  _

_ But he was moving before he even registered what he’s about to do and jumped into the water, the worried voice of the emcee fading as he tried to swim deeper into the water to reach the drowning girl.  _

‘Heroes have these kinds of moments too, huh? Suddenly rushing in to help without giving it any thought.’, _ he thinks to himself, stretching his arm long enough to grab hold of the girl. With the sudden charge into the water, however, Chiaki didn’t have a chance to take a deep breath so he was struggling to pull themselves above water before he ran out of breath. _

_ But he couldn’t hold it any longer. He lets out air from his mouth, bubbles escaping and making their way upwards, and started to inhale water. It was painful. Despite that, he kept a firm hold of the girl’s arm. Judging by the ease of pulling her towards him, the animal must’ve let her go. _

_ However it was too late, as Chiaki’s senses were fading and his grip started to loosen _

_ It was the aquarium staff who ultimately saved both children, pulling them out as quickly as they could. Thankfully, they were able to regain consciousness after receiving first aid, and their worried parents rushed in. _

_ As his mother was patting his head in relief, Chiaki looked over to the girl who was fighting the tears in her eyes, telling her mom how scared she was and the older woman comforting her. She seemed okay physically, at least. _

_ They were led to the infirmary for a quick check-up, and after confirming that both didn’t sustain any injuries were taken to the souvenir shop to get some dry clothes. _

_ \-- _

_ Chiaki feels a tug on his shirt and turns around to see the girl in a fresh new set of clothes bought from the shop. She was fidgeting with her fingers before shyly meeting his eyes.  _

_ “Mommy said I should always thank people who help me… so… thank you very much for saving me!” She bows her head and Chiaki is at a loss for words.  _

_ “No, no. It wasn’t really me who saved you.” The young boy quickly denies despite the warm feeling her words brought him. He felt like he didn’t deserve the gratitude. He  _ did _ almost drown with her after recklessly jumping in after her. _

_ She shakes her head. “I already thanked the nice adults earlier. But you were the one who tried to save me first, right? So, thank you!” She insists and bows her head again. The sincerity of her voice made the young boy give up any more argument and accept her gratitude. He smiles in reply. _

_ “A hero never hesitates when there are people in need, after all.” _

_ Chiaki then notices a paper bag beside the girl. It was the same size as the one he has after purchasing a souvenir from the shop. “Did you also buy one?” And the girl tilts her head to the side in confusion. _

_ He points to the bag. “A souvenir, I mean.” He clarifies. She turns her attention to the bag and nods.  _

_ “Yes. The dolphins from the show were cute”, she reaches inside the bag and reveals a pink stuffed dolphin, “so I want to keep one too! _

_ Chiaki’s eyes grow wide and opens his own bag. “I also liked the show so I got one too!” A blue stuffed dolphin peeks from inside, the same kind the girl has. The girl gasps in awe and giggles before speaking again. “We match!” _

_ “We do!” And he matches her laughter with one of his own before being interrupted by a sudden sneeze, surprising the both of them.  _

_ “Are you okay?” The girl worriedly asks, and Chiaki quickly wipes his nose with his sleeve.  _

_ “Y-Yeah, I’m fine! This usually happens when I get a little chilly but it should be fine when we get outside.” He explains. He was never good with changing temperatures to begin with and the air conditioning of the shop was doing more harm than good. They  _ did _ both just came from the outside stage earlier and that summer heat was no joke. Not to mention them being dripping wet not too long ago. _

_ The girl gives him one more concerned look before patting on the pockets of her skirt. She pulls out a handkerchief. “Here, you can use this. Mommy always makes me carry one.”  _

_ Chiaki was hesitant but gave an awkward laugh before taking it. “Thanks! It’s a little embarrassing you had to see that.” He can already feel his cheeks turning red. He should really start bringing a towel of his own in the future. But the girl pays it no mind and says that it didn’t bother her at all _

_ Before they could start another conversation, a voice calls out and the girl turns around to see her mother waving at her from the entrance. It must be their time to leave. _

_ “Mommy is calling me... I guess it’s time to go home.” She says, a hint of sadness in her voice. The girl didn’t move from her spot and looked down on the floor with a frown. It must be hard to say goodbye to a new friend so early. _

_ A cheerful ‘Well, take care!’ should at least break the silence, Chiaki thought. Though he too didn’t want to part too soon, he knows his mom would be calling for him too. So he puts on a brave smile and steps forward. But just as he was about to open his mouth the girl lifts her head. _

_ “It was nice meeting you! Thank you again for rescuing me!” She spoke with all the appreciation she felt at that moment. “... And I hope we can meet again.” She quickly grabs her paper bag and runs away before Chiaki can even utter a reply. She takes her mother’s waiting hand but before the two exit the shop, she turns around. _

_ “Bye bye, Mr. Hero!” _

\--

Chiaki lies awake on his bed, his mind still reminiscing the incident from long ago. How could he have forgotten? 

He remembers having a field trip when he was younger. A troubled expression of his mother when she realized Chiaki picked up the wrong paper bag from the aquarium shop. And the panic he felt after realizing he and the girl had accidentally swapped bags. He remembers coming down with a fever on that same night.

So that memory wasn’t a fever dream after all? 

He sits back up on the bed and reaches for the old paper bag he left by his bedside. A pink dolphin, a handkerchief, and a name. No matter how many times he opens it, nothing changes. He closes his eyes to let it sink in once more.

He was the one who saved her. He was her first hero.

\--

After dropping by the ES building for work, Chiaki spends the rest of his free time roaming around ES. He still can’t believe it. Remembering what happened is one thing, but meeting the girl he had saved back then was almost too coincidental that the brunette wonders if there really is some divine being at work here. Or it could also be fate trying to tie them together. Not every person you meet will cross paths with you again, after all.

Maybe this is the universe giving Chiaki an opportunity to give her back her handkerchief. He didn’t really intend to keep it back then, just wipe his nose quickly and then hand it back, but she was gone too soon. The pink dolphin was hers too, so he can give that back as well. But that could mean her giving him the blue one, which was supposed to be his. She had treasured his dolphin for so long and for her to just return it like that, in exchange for a pink dolphin that he didn’t really paid attention to all these years, would be a really disappointing trade.

All he’s thinking right now is if their current relationship would change if he tells her. And if that change would be for the better or for the worse. 

Right now, he’s assuming the worst.

He thought a walk would clear his mind of these thoughts, but it only made him think about them more. He needs to find another way to distract himself.

But somehow in his wandering around, he ends up at the front of the cafe. He must’ve navigated there by instinct, though he wasn’t sure if he would call it that considering he was only able to go there twice. Well thrice, if he counted today.

He steps a little to the far side of the road to let the other people walk past. It would look a little suspicious if people saw him just staring at the shop so he takes out his phone and pretends to be texting someone. 

He subtly looks up from his phone to see inside the cafe and spots the owner by the counter, picking up the orders to serve. Another female joins her with a tray in hand. That must be the other employee who was sick for the last few days. Well, he’s glad the owner didn’t have to wait tables alone today. Yesterday was a hectic day indeed but today’s atmosphere looks a little calmer, with a manageable amount of customers.

_ 'There was a festival nearby which would explain why there were a lot more children in the area’ _ , was what the owner told him.

At the thought of what happened the previous day, Chiaki remembers a funny exchange he had with her. He had tried to pay for his order but she insisted it’s on the house, saying that she might still get in trouble for making him work so it’s the least she could do.

“Haha! I told you, you won’t. So it’s okay, really. Let me pay for it.” Chiaki was already reaching for his wallet, taking out some L$ and placing them on the table in front of her

She pushed the money back at him, shaking her head. “Well, then just consider it as payment for helping out. It’s the least I can do.”

“No, no. Just take it. I’m still a customer after all!”

“Usually when someone’s offered something for free they’d gladly take it, you know?”

“And I’m not one who just takes advantage of that and not compensate you properly for your hard work.”

Their exchange went on for a few more minutes until both started laughing at how silly they both are for just a parfait. In the end, they decided to just meet halfway and pay the dessert on a discount. 

A small laugh escapes Chiaki’s lips after looking back at the memory and he finally tucks his phone back to his pocket. Maybe he really is just overthinking it all and she’d actually be happy when he tells her. Maybe. He should probably at least tell Kanata or Kaoru about this whole situation. Knowing their thoughts about it would also help him get out of his pessimistic tunnel vision.

Chiaki nods to himself and takes one last glance at the cafe before heading back to the office, now with an objective in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi~ apologies for another long wait bc a lot of irl stuff happened >_< this fic was originally supposed to be 3 chapters long but i figured if i cram it all in this one it would get too long to read (oops!) so i decided to add one more final chapter. hope you enjoyed this one and please look forward to the ending~!
> 
> follow me on tumblr @lightspeedrobin


	4. Found

The familiar store chimes make a gentle ring as Chiaki enters the cafe. It has been two days since he’d last been there and the quiet and relaxing atmosphere greets him once more. No children running around and the stress of meeting their needs is thankfully gone for the next few days. The kid’s section is almost empty, save for a couple of young adults who chose to sit by the area. It’s a perfect day to talk to the owner without much distractions.

Speaking of the owner, he takes a look around the cafe in search of the person in question, and there she was, engaging in an idle chatter with the barista while putting some final touches on a dish. He quickly looks away when she turns around to deliver the order, setting his eyes on a table at the back. As much as he wanted to stay in the kids section, he didn’t want to draw attention to himself today.

He settles down on his seat and sets the paper bag he’s been carrying beside him. He didn’t bother putting the plush on a different bag, but in hindsight, the owner might recognize the bag when sees it so he keeps it hidden for now. His mind drifts to the conversation he had with Kanata and Kaoru the other day.

_‘I think you should just tell her. I’m sure she’ll be happy to know you two are meeting again like this.’_

_‘Oh but don’t just_ tell _her. Be smooth about it. Hmm… I know a few techniques you can do to–’_

_‘Kaoru, he’s not trying to hit on her, you know.’_

_‘I know, I know. But what if…’_

In the end, both Ryuseitai members listened to Kaoru’s so-called-techniques over coffee at the ES Cafeteria. It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out and the blonde looked enthusiastic sharing his ideas, not that Chiaki would be able to pull any of it off. 

On her way back to the counter, the owner spots him seated at the far back, waving at her. Smiling brighter at the sight of her newly-formed friend, she makes her way to his table. He instinctively pushes the paper bag further towards the back of his seat to hide it from view.

“Hey! You’re back!” She greets enthusiastically, handing him a menu. “On a break from work?” 

She speaks in a more casual tone to him now that they’re more familiar with each other. He’s glad that she’s able to relax around him. 

“Nah, I’m actually done for the day and wanted to come here.” He replies as he takes the booklet. He only had a small errand at ES today so he has the rest of the day to himself.

She nods and her eyes lit up with interest. “Oh I see. If you’re already finished this early then you must’ve been working hard the past few days.” 

“Yup! Ryuseitai’s been getting a lot of jobs lately and I’m glad we get to work together more often now.” He says in genuine pride. Ryuseitai has grown so much from when they were first starting out and all those job requests they’ve been getting are proof that they’re reaching the hearts of more people as idols and allies of justice.

“That’s great to hear!” She beams at the news but then puts a hand on her chin as if remembering something. “Ah, so that time I saw you by the cafe, were you perhaps supposed to meet your friends here?”

Chiaki almost chokes on air. “What?”

“The other day, you were hanging outside the cafe, right?” She explains. “Or did I mistook you for someone else?”

He panics for a brief second but he didn’t want to lie that he hasn’t been in the area that day. Or at least, he couldn’t bring himself to lie. “A-Ah yes, that was me.”

“Well, It’s a shame you didn’t come in. We were testing out some new flavors for the parfaits that day. You and your friends could’ve tried them.” She says, her voice mixed with a little disappointment. Chiaki starts to feel bad for not at least saying ‘hi’ before leaving. But he _was_ supposed to be hiding that day. The owner must’ve had a good eye for spotting him, or he just sucks at stealth. 

“O-Oh, um… Yeah, I needed to talk to someone so I had to head back to the agency.” He stammers. He’s not a good liar but it technically wasn’t a lie. He had no plans on giving more context to _why_ he was at the store front in the first place and he hopes she doesn’t ask.

“Ah, I see.” Her expression seemed like she wouldn’t press any further, so he mentally sighs in relief. “Well, we still have them available today. If you like, I could put down an order for you now.” She says, pen and notepad at the ready. 

Chiaki checks his watch. An hour before lunch. He could probably use a light meal to go with the parfait.

His order arrives shortly after, with the owner grinning as she sets them down on his table. He can clearly see the excitement in her eyes as she sets the parfait on the table, looking just as mouth-watering as ones he had served the other day. She’s in high spirits today and Chiaki hopes he’ll get to see more of her smile later. 

As the last of his order is set down, he catches her attention by clearing his throat. “I also actually came today to talk to you.”

She raises a curious eyebrow at him. “Oh...”

“It’s really nothing important, just–”

“This isn’t about that other day, right? The ‘i-made-a-famous-idol-work-at-my-cafe’ thing?” She hugs the empty tray closer as she speaks, voice clearly in panic. It must’ve still been bothering her since then.

Chiaki quickly shakes his head, letting out an awkward laugh for not giving more context right away. “No, no, no. There really wasn’t any issue with that. This one’s actually unrelated so no need to worry. But this might take a while so...” He trails off, unsure what to say next. He’s well aware that she’s still in the middle of work but this might be the only chance he can get, and the conversation might take long considering how this would concern her largely.

“Ah...” She relaxes and now it was her turn to give an awkward chuckle. “Sorry, I tend to think ahead of things so I kind of panicked.” 

He knows. At least for the times he visited, he assumed as such. But that didn’t bother Chiaki at all. The way she starts to break her upbeat demeanor in panic, fidgeting and cheeks flushing was adorable in a way.

She takes a deep breath again to compose herself, looking at the clock by the counter before speaking again. “Well, I’ll be having my break soon so if you want we can talk then.”

“Alright, I can wait until then.”

Chiaki slowly eats his meal as the lunch rush passes and soon enough it dies down, resuming into its calmer atmosphere. A good time for a break. 

She asks him if he would like to wait in the staff room for a bit while she gives some instructions to her staff and he takes the suggestion. It _is_ more preferable to have some privacy.

-

The owner steps in the staff room after a few minutes, leaving a few more words to the other staff outside before closing the door. Chiaki patiently waits as she writes down an entry on the time sheet hung on the wall before finally sitting across him on the table. Something catches his eye though: a small stain on her apron. 

“Thanks for waiting.” She says. “I had to leave a few things to them before I take my break.

Chiaki feels the nervousness building up but despite that, he was able to keep calm and answer with a cheery tone. “It’s no problem at all. I _am_ the one who wanted to talk to you.” 

“Oh um… Before that, you have a little stain on your apron.” He pats his lap to indicate where it is and she makes a surprised ‘oh’ before looking down on the same area on her apron. The brown spot looks small enough to be unnoticable from afar but Chiaki was able to spot it when she sat down.

“Shoot. There is.” She confirms, and starts to rub it off with her thumb. 

Just then, an idea popped into Chiaki’s head. Even after all these years, he never really practiced the habit of bringing his own handkerchief, but this day, he had one. And this particular piece of cloth holds a certain value that would bring up the subject that Chiaki had been nervous about for days. 

Nervousness, however, was just part of the things he was feeling at the moment. More than that, he was feeling hopeful. Hopeful that things will stay the same between them, if not, improve. And he has Kanata and Kaoru to thank for that.

So with the usual sunny smile on his face, he reaches into his pocket for the handkerchief and presents it to her, who’s still focused on the stain. He makes sure to get that particular corner exposed so she would immediately see it.

“You can use this, if you like.” 

She looks up at the handkerchief offered to her, then at him. She makes a bashful smile before reaching out to take it

“Thank you for–” She stopped mid-sentence as soon as she laid eyes on the name on the handkerchief. Surprise and disbelief spread across her face as it finally dawns in on her what the familiar piece of cloth conveys. 

She slowly looks up at him and Chiaki nods, as if confirming whatever thoughts have been swimming in her head right now. _Yes, it was the handkerchief she gave him a long time ago. Yes, he was the boy who stood next to her on stage in the aquatic show. And yes, he was the boy, who despite not knowing how to swim, still jumped in the water to save her._

“I-I can’t believe it...” She takes a closer look at the cloth, tracing her fingers on the neatly embroidered name and the sunflowers decorating the corners. 

“I didn’t realize it right away but that boy who tried to pull you out of the water years ago… was most probably me.” Chiaki finally puts in words. “And I wanted to give that back to you… with this.” He reaches out into the bag and takes out the pink dolphin plush. He did his best to clean it up but the accumulated dust over the years faded out the bright pink color it had from what Chiaki remembered. 

She gasps and slowly touches the stuffed animal, as if handling something fragile. Her lips appear to be tugging into a smile as she looks over it. “It’s–!”

“This is yours, right? It all happened so fast at the souvenir shop that even I didn’t realize we switched bags back then.” He explains. He anxiously studies her expression as he places the plush down on the table.

Her eyes lit up at the memory. “I remember! I was so shocked that I got the wrong one.” She then claps her mouth, looking both happy and embarrassed. “That was my bad, I rushed out so suddenly that I forgot to check.”

“No, that’s okay. Really. But i’m glad that you still treasured mine despite all that.” At this point, it didn’t really matter who caused the switch. It was just an honest and clumsy mistake they made, which was natural for children their age. What matters now is this moment, where the exchanged dolphins allowed them to meet again. 

“It _is_ from my hero, after all.” She says a little softly. Instead of having that distant look from the first time she talked about her hero, she’s now looking directly at him, and Chiaki can feel the warmth and gratitude of her gaze, along with a strange ecstatic feeling inside him. 

“You saved my life back then. And we both wouldn’t be meeting here again if it weren’t for that.” For some reason, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as she spoke. Her words seem to bear more weight to him now that there is someone to receive the admiration she has. Now that _he_ is the one receiving it. 

She smiles, the same twinkle reflected in her eyes, and this time, that smile was for him. “Thank you.”

“I...” Chiaki is left dumbstruck at those two words, trailing off from what he was supposed to day. Back in the aquarium, they didn’t mean anything big. It just made him happy before because even though they both almost drowned, she still thanked him. Even though he almost failed, she still looked up to him.

 _'But why does hearing them again now feel different?‘_ , he wonders. 

She was still looking at him, probably waiting for him to finish his thought. Still unable to think of a proper response, Chiaki lets out the first words that come to his mind. 

“A hero never hesitates when there are people in need, after all.” 

And she laughs. 

“You said the same thing back then too.” She points out, and only then did Chiaki realize it. It wasn’t really his intention to say the same thing but maybe he never really changed all that much from when she met him.

“Now I’m sure it really is you.” 

Chiaki pauses in his thoughts, the nostalgic atmosphere instantly disappearing. “W-Wait, were you actually doubting me earlier?”

“No, not at all.” She calmly says, waving her hand vigorously in denial. “It’s just too good to be true that I thought this was just a dream.” And he awkwardly laughs in return with her, having been worried for nothing.

“A-Anyway, here is your dolphin back if you still need it. Ah, but I feel bad for returning this after learning how you took care of mine well so you can keep both.” He gestures to the said animal on the table, smiling all the while. It was the solution he came up with after mulling over it a few days ago. By letting her keep both, she wouldn’t have to let go of the one she took care of all these years while still getting her original one back.

She, however, seems to be against it. “What? I can’t possibly do that. I mean, you’ve also kept mine all this time and that’ll make me feel equally bad for taking it.” And she pushes the dolphin towards him.

Chiaki shakes his head before pushing it back to her. “It’s totally fine, really.” 

At the back of his mind, he was anticipating her to insist on giving him the plush and the funny exchange would go on until one finally gave in. He can feel a sense of deja vu as he preps himself for her response. He was determined to not budge this time.

Unexpectedly, however, she pauses for a moment in deep thought before sighing. “Alright. I’ll take my dolphin back… Thanks.” She pulls the dolphin towards her, and for some reason, he felt a little dismayed that it didn’t go the way he imagined. 

She then taps a finger to her chin, humming in thought. “But I don’t really have any more space to keep another one sooo–” She stands up, circling around the table to stand beside Chiaki, and places the dolphin on his hands. “I’m giving this one to you.” She states, smiling while Chiaki stares at her in confusion. Only one word escaped his mouth.

“What?”

“I’m giving you my _extra_ dolphin to keep. So now you can take care of him while I continue looking after yours.” She elaborates, having solved the dilemma he had in just a few minutes. By accepting the returned plush _and_ giving it to him after, it catered both their intentions. Chiaki definitely didn’t expect this response. 

She looks at him with such a cool and smug expression that he gives a defeated sigh. She definitely wins this time. 

“Well then, I guess this one will be in my care.” He gives the pink dolphin a pat, now formally his, and he can only feel warm and happy seeing her smile widening.

She then walks over to a row of lockers on the other side of the room and opens what he assumes is her locker. Inside was her own dolphin in it’s fading blue color. She takes it out and places it on the table, right in front of Chiaki’s. “I’ll be looking forward to more playdates then.” She says in a higher tone, as if giving the animal plush its own voice, and waves its fin. It was playful and silly, but it was cute.

He gives a small chuckle as he plays along, waving his dolphin’s fin back at hers. “Yeah. I’ll come visit some time.” And they both broke into a hearty laughter.

When she looked up at him again, her eyes showed a gentle glow and her cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink as she beams at him. For a moment there, he can only stare in awe at the sight.

“I hope we can get to know each other more too.”

Chiaki feels a rush of joy welling up in him. All the pleasant emotions are mixing up inside him from her words that it was natural for his face to lift into a smile. “Me too.”

They were silent for a few more seconds, and almost instantly, an awkward atmosphere started to build up. Rubbing a hesitant hand on the back of his head, Chiaki breaks the silence. “So… I was wondering if we can, you know, chat a little more?” 

He had a lot of things he wanted to talk about with her. Somehow, after all that has happened today, he feels refreshed and eager to learn more about her. But all those thoughts were flushed down the drain at her immediate response. 

“We can’t." 

And Chiaki is again thrown into a spiral of surprise and confusion. Her brows were slightly furrowed so he couldn’t tell what they meant. A swarm of questions started to fill his head, unable to determine whether everything had really worked out. He might have gotten carried away with his request.

“–At least not now when my break’s about to be over.” She follows right after, peering at the wall clock by the time sheet with a guilty look. He snaps his head towards the clock as well. It’s been almost an hour since her break started. He terribly lost track of time. 

“Right… Totally forgot about that.” His sigh came out as a stammered laugh so she chuckled in amusement. It really did end well. She may have just been teasing him a bit.

“Why don’t we take a walk around the city later after we close shop for the day?” 

“That... sounds great.”

Chiaki never expected to meet again someone from his childhood memory, not to mention, one that admired him all this time for saving her. The thought that he was able to be someone’s hero at such a young age, gives him a new-found determination to grow more as a proud member of Ryuseitai. 

While he doesn’t know what their friendship would become in the future, what he does know is that spending time with her gives him an unusually pleasant and light feeling. And he’s looking forward to that walk later, and, of course, the other meetings to come.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ending the year right! it took a while but we've finally reached the end, and just in time for the current event~
> 
> thank you to all the wonderful people who have stay tuned and supported me for the past four months. i enjoyed writing chiaki because he's such a pure and honest boy and i love him TT^TT 
> 
> wishing everyone a fruitful new year and the best of luck for those grinding for 5star chiaki!
> 
> until next time~
> 
> follow me on tumblr @lightspeedrobin


End file.
